Saturday, January 31, 2009

Songs in My Head Saturday

My bloggy friend Michael sent me this song and I have listened to itdozens of times, so needless to say, it's been in my head all week. It'sabsolutely charming and a perfect theme song for Willow Manor.This is so fun...turn your volume way up. Thanks, Michael!

Chorus:All around my hat, I will wear the green willowall around my hat, for a twelvemonth and a dayand if anyone should ask me the reason why I'm wearing it,it's all for my true love, who is far, far away.

Fare thee well, cold winter and fare thee well, cold frostnothing have I gained, but my own true love I've lostI'll sing and I'll be merry when occasion I do see,he's a false, deluding young man, let him go, farewell he, and ..

Chorus

The other night he brought me a fine diamond ring,but he thought to have deprive me of a far better thing.But I being careful, like lovers ought to be,he's a false, deluding young man, let him go, farewell he, and ...

Chorus

With a quarter pound of reason, and a half a pound of sense,a small sprig of time and as much of prudence,you mix them all together and you will plainly seehe's a false, deluding young man, let him go, farewell he, and ...

Oh , wow this brought back memories - I joined the WRAF in November 75 so the summer was my last college days as a civvy and the memories of cold cider in pint glasses came zooming back and just generally being a teenager and this song was played quite a lot

Dont guess I have really ever heard them but they have a warm, heartening sound. Can one really post an entire poem? I guess I am old fashioned re: copyright. I thought a person could post a few lines or a short quote without paying for the privileged of reprinting someones poem. When I quoted from Robert Frost in my novel (Viking 1990) I had to pay to use the lines. I know lots of bloggers publish complete poems written by others on their blogs, in fact you have done so. Do blogland go under different laws? In fact at one time I was teaching a writing class and wanted to used zeroxed excerpts from stories and was told by the college I could not do that without paying the copyright fees. Just curious what the take is on this.

I meant do bloglanders, not do blogland. Again, quoting song lyrics goes in the same category. In fact I think they are more expensive to pay for than poems. Re: poems I saw your sidebar Feb 2 post a poem icon which is how all this came up in my mind.

Suki, I have always assumed that since I am not profiting from my blog, that this would fall into the "fair use" category, since the printing of the lyrics and poetry is basically for scholarship or review. I'll have to do some further research.

Copyright issues have gotten problematic with the advent & growth of the internet-- one basic fact: it's now possible for folks to readily "publish" material without going thru convetional publishing channels. The "fair use" concept seems pretty straightforward, tho OLGA (the online guitar archive) fought a losing battle on these grounds against the music publishing industry. Whatever the strict interpretation (& as "the Good Book" says, "the letter of the law kills, but the spirit quickens"), it seems to me that if I post or poem (or Willow, or countless other bloggers) it isn't negatively impacting profits from book sales (the bottom line of copyright), but if anything potentially increasing such sales for a given poet-- unless someones doing something as blantantly infringing as, e.g., posting the text of an entire poetry book. I have an ongoing series on Robert Frost's Banjo in which I discuss a few cds every Friday. Although I use low-res pix of the cd covers, by the letter of the law these images could be considered infringements-- on the other hand, while I'm not trying to get folks to spend their hard-earned money, it does seem that a few folks might end up buying a cd or two in response to these posts. Especially since the pix are sufficiently low-res to prevent pirates using them for bootleg cd covers, where's the "harm" in a legal sense here.

Love the "silent poetry reading" idea. As for copyright, I freak everytime I quote something and try to cite as fully as possible (my inner "litgeek" coming out). I'm not commercial either; just try to put up a few things I like in hopes others might also. Poets especially say things in a way the rest of us cannot. If it prompts others to seek out the author--yippee! Score one for literature--and books!

Willow, This takes me back to my girlhood when my father would play "The Seekers" albums he had. They were best known for their hit "Georgie Girl", but the one I recall and can sing to this day, is "Red Rubber Ball". Steeleye Span is definitely someone I will be looking for with a view to purchasing - as a result of your post. Thanks!

Hi all. have read the comments on copyright. Interesting to hear the ideas. As a published author myself, of two books and various short stories, I would want to be asked if someone wanted to quote me, out of respect more than anything. On the other hand, I would be thrilled if someone cared enough to want to quote me. I know there are lots of wonderful things about sharing our favorite song lyrics and poems and so forth. And I agree about inspiring others to possibly purchase a book of poems or a CD.I have been inspired to order a Dorianne Laux book from Willows enthusiasms and postings. But I was just wondering about the letter of the law as John hayes mentions in perhaps slightly different wording. And also the idea of respect for the author. I didnt mean to point at you specifically Willow, as i know lots of folks quote entire poems/song lyrics on their blogs. I have often wanted to share my favorite poems but as said have never done so for more than a few lines. Interesting. And thanks.

I do think there's something to be said for asking permission, but of course a lot of copyrighted works are by deceased authors-- in that case, the rights in practical terms have to do with money that can be made by whatever publishing house owns the rights. & again in practical terms (especially when you're talking about poetry) I don't believe quoting a poem on a blog has a negative impact on such revenue-- if anything, I think it's likely to have a positive impact. The dissemination of poetry on a blog is an odd circumstance in terms of copyright. For instance, if I invited two dozen friends to my house for a party & read them all a poem, would that be a violation of copyright? Or would it be a violation of copyright if I emailed the same number of friends, either as a mailing list or in individual emails, the same poem? I think these are valid questions, & I don't believe there are ready answers to many of them. It's also true, as I've written about on RFBanjo, that the music industry has abused copyright itself-- granting Elvis Presley a copyright on the music to "Love Me Tender," which is simply the music to "Aura Lee," a 19th century song by George R. Poulton. If Mr Poulton has living descendents (or had them at any time from the late 1950s on) was this a fair use of copyright? & this is just one glaring example-- there are many others.

Well, with Steeleye Span still touring and recording and a recession winding itself up all around, gratitude for the exposure should score over copyright issues. At the risk of generalising, I think that musicians are likely to welcome the attention while the men in suits, panicking about the place and function of the music industry in an increasingly decentralised digital world, are on the 'phone to their legal departments.

John Hayes, I guess I have always thought it okay to read a poem or speak a poem out loud. I mean before a group of friends we also sing songs together without worry about copyright. Although it IS illegal apparently to gather a group of friends in a public place for the purpose of watching a video or DVD together even if no money exchanges hands, in fact if you read the FBI warning you can (as I understand it) go to jail for it. Poems and songs of course have been shared verbally or out loud since time began. Once said or read it disappears into the air. Whereas written down for someone it is still there. I dont know about sending a poem in emails though. Certainly I have written out poems in handwritten letters to one friend or the other. Hmmm, gets complicated and really here I am chuckling. Thanks John, be well, (oh, it is okay to quote me) :) Suki

R.A.D. Stainforth reads my poems

I pledge to read the printed word

I adore the scent of old paper in secondhand bookshops, the
dance of words on a page, gathering odd things like a magpie, fresh flowers, woolly socks, keeping company with art, the thrill of film, and
concocting an occasional culinary delight for the people I love.